A New ‘Rocketeer’ TV Series Is Coming to Disney Junior

The Rocketeer is officially blasting off once more, albeit into an unexpected landing zone. The classic jetpack-wearing hero will be reborn with a new animated series on Disney Junior, and a new heroine strapping on the pack.

Disney Junior confirms that production has begun on The Rocketeer, a new animated iteration of Dave Stevens’ famed comic book series of the same name. Rather than the familiar pulp setting, however, the new Rocketeer will aim itself at ages 2-7 with new central heroine Kit, a young girl who receives the Rocketeer jetpack as a surprise birthday present. The series will feature two eleven-minute stories per episode (along with an original song each week), while the basic synopsis reads (via EW):

The series will follow Kit, a young girl who receives a surprise birthday package revealing she’s the next Rocketeer, a renowned superhero who takes to the air with the help of a jet pack. Alongside her gadget-whiz best friend Tesh and her airplane mechanic uncle Ambrose, Kit assumes her new secret identity to embark on a series of heroic adventures.

Says Disney:

We are very excited to introduce The Rocketeer to our young Disney Junior audience. The vast storytelling found in the original comic books provides the perfect opportunity to create an exciting new adventure series told from a young girl superhero perspective that the whole family can enjoy together.

The character of The Rocketeer first appeared in 1982, but was most famously realized in the 1991 Joe Johnston film of the same name. That version starred The Killing alum Billy Campbell as its title hero, along with Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Terry O’Quinn and more. Disney aims to have the series blasting off in 2019, so stay tuned for more.